James Ford-Bannister is one of 14 officials who will take charge of the IFAF men’s European Championship Final Four games from October 25 to 28. Reigning champion Austria, five-time champion Finland, triple gold medal winner Italy and three-time champion Germany will compete for the continental title at the Grotenburg Stadion in Krefeld.
He is one of two referees and crew chiefs and is also one of two officials who do not hail from either of the four participating nations. IFAF asked the established British official to explain his journey to this point in his career and views on what will make the tournament successful for the fifth and equally important team taking part: the officials.
“I came into football having done similar roles in motorsport (timekeeping, marshalling) and having played rugby union but not having a direct association with the sport over than having been a fan for many years. It took attending a Wisconsin Badgers game (the team local to my day job’s head office, whilst I was over there for a training week) and having long chats with a colleague about calls and rules to give me the kick I needed to sign up with BAFRA when I got back to the UK.
“Starting training in late 2015 and getting on the field in 2016 had led to a wild journey of getting slowly better, getting elected to our Director of Training post in COVID and restructuring our training offerings, and starting my international career when we were allowed back on the field. In 2022, I was immensely humbled to be selected as back judge for three major finals including the UK University “BUCS” League Final and the UK National Final “BritBowl”.
“I attended some US Clinics, most notable TBFOC in Baltimore, and continue to elevate my officiating. 2025 was as generous to me as 2022, as I made a more permanent move to the referee position. It started with working my second UK University Final and my first in the white hat. About the same time, Davie Parsons rang me to let me know that I’d been suggested by my IFAF colleagues as an appropriate choice to work the Final Four as one of the two Referees – an honour and position I never expected to receive.”
What are you looking forward to about officiating at the games?
“I was very fortunate to be selected to work back judge at the U20 World Championship in Edmonton, CA in 2024. This was my first flavour of the tournament-style IFAF competition, where officials and teams stay in a host city. These tournaments are quite unlike anything else in football and remind me of an intensity akin to my former day job as a freelance theatre stage manager, where the many hours spent together forge friendships that last a lifetime.
“I went back to Edmonton this year to spend some time with the friends I made there, learn Canadian rules, and work some local high school Canadian rules football. As much as I will always look forward to high quality football and the challenge it’ll bring – I really look forward to the new friendships I’ll make over this week in Germany.”
What does it mean to you to be the only British official participating as one of two neutral referees?
“BAFRA officiating has a well-regarded legacy in international officiating, with names such as our supervisor Davie Parsons being cornerstones of that respected status. I feel very much part of the new generation of British officials trying to live up that standard that has been set by our forebears but also bringing experience of some of the modern approaches to officiating being taught by the NFL and NCAA officials of my era.
“It’s also not just being the only Brit, but being one two Crew Chiefs selected among the many top white hats in Europe is a great honour – especially as I’m still very early in my career as a referee. This may be the first, but I hope I will continue to grow an earn a few more IFAF championships.”
What is the key to an officiating team being successful at a tournament.
“I am a great believer in letting the crew be who they are and not trying to break that by changing too many things. We have a well-developed set of mechanics and rules to follow but outside of that, each personality brings something different to the table.
“As a referee and crew chief, I consider it my job to make everyone working our game feel relaxed and able to bring their best to the table. Everyone at the tournament earnt their spot for good reasons. If the crew can be comfortable doing their jobs, they make great calls and make me look good. Then all I have to do is make them look good by being smooth and clear to the fans. Sometimes games get feisty, I also think it’s important to be the crew diplomat, take the fire sometimes, but ensure the game never boils over.”
The participating tackle teams will hold practices and film sessions - what is the equivalent for the officiating team in terms of how you spend your preparation time?
“In a prior final I worked, we invited the TV crew covering our game to one of our pre-game meetings and they found it eye-opening. We approach most games in a very similar fashion to the teams. International games are a little different as national teams evolve over time as coaching and personnel change but the basics be understood when the senior coaching staff remain the same.
“Lots of video review is essential to understand tendencies, key players, and offensive and defensive schemes. This gives us an ability to come into the game less surprised by what a team might present, but we never want to assume that a team will or won’t do something. The other side is self-review. A key part of officiating to watch your calls and your mechanics and be self-critical about where you can improve to give the teams the best version of yourself - which these finalists deserve - when gametime arrives. This even includes countless hours of practicing announcements or signals in the mirror.
“One of my favourite games to play is taking a situation and reducing the announcement to as few words as possible until it no longer is clear. The fans don’t come to see those of us in stripes so if we can take as little TV time as possible, whilst still giving the fans the information they need, and give them as much great football as possible. Then we’ve done a good job.”
